24 Books of Christmas

I’m all about holiday traditions; both keeping old ones from my childhood and making new ones with my own kiddos.  One tradition we started a few years ago is 24 Books of Christmas.  If you’ve never heard of it, 24 Books of Christmas is a very simple tradition to start and is great for the whole family. It only takes a little bit of planning and prep work for almost a whole month of fun.

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How to Get Started

Toward the end of November, I pull out all our Christmas books and decide which ones I want to include.  Over the years, the baby board books have been swapped out for more age appropriate (and longer) stories.  Some of the books in our collection are from when I was a kid, so those are extra special.

If you’re just starting your Christmas book collection, Amazon is a great (affordable) place to shop. I’ve linked my book list below for easy shopping.

I wrap each book and number them from 1-24. I always make The Night Before Christmas number 24 so we can read it on Christmas Eve.

Starting on December 1st, each night before bed, my kids take turns opening one Christmas book and we read it together as a family.  Since they’re numbered, there’s no fighting about which book to choose next.

After we read the books, I leave them out in the living room so they’re easily accessible all month long.  The boys love to grab books throughout the day and lay in front of the tree to read together.

When Christmas is over, I put all the books back in storage until it’s time to wrap them next year.  This helps keep the books fresh and exciting when they’re re-opened year after year.

This tradition allows the boys to feel the excitement of opening presents before Christmas and it also makes us, as a family, focus on spending meaningful time together each night.  We all know the holiday season can make us feel rushed and in a hurry to get it all done.  Sitting down together for a special Christmas story reminds us of what’s really important this time of year.

Our 24 Books of Christmas

1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas– Karma Wilson
2. The Sweet Smell of Christmas-Patricia Scarry
3. The Very Smiley Snowman– Jack Tickle
4. Merry Christmas, Curious George– Margret and H.A. Rey’s
5. Santa Claus Funny Faces– Priddy Books
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas– Dr. Seuss
7. My First Night Before Christmas– Clement C. Moore
8. Slide and Find Christmas– Priddy Books
9. The Polar Express– Chris Van Allsburg
10. The Very First Christmas– Suzanne Berry
11. The Snow Bear– Miriam Moss
12. The Christmas Story– Jane Werner
13. Merry Christmas Mom and Dad– Mercer Mayer
14. Clifford’s Christmas– Norman Bridwell
15. Olive, the Other Reindeer– J. Otto Seibold
16. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree– Robert Barry
17. A Letter to Santa– Ned Taylor
18. The Christmas Story Pop-Up Fun– Gill Davies
19. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Look and Find– Bob Berry
20. A Charlie Brown Christmas– Charles M. Schultz
21. The 12 Bugs of Christmas– David A. Carter
22. The 12 Sleighs of Christmas– Sherri Duskey Rinker
23. The 12 Days of Christmas– Greg Pizzoli
24. The Night Before Christmas– Clement C. Moore

This list changes a little bit for us every year, but there are some classics that I plan to keep around for a long time.  I love this tradition and so do my boys.  We’ll keep it going for years to come!  Do you have any family traditions you’ve started with your own kids? Or do you keep the traditions of your childhood going? Let me know in the comments!